"That's the talk," came promptly from Dave's chums.
"So you are going to play the master, are you?" blustered Gus Plum. "Going to rule the roost, eh? and make everybody bow low to you, eh?"
"Nothing of the kind, Plum. I merely wish——"
"Oh, I know! You've talked soft to me before, and soft to Nat, too! I suppose you think now you have money you can do anything here. Well, it don't go—not with me anyway, and I want to give you fair warning right now, at the very start. I want you to understand——"
"Plum, don't talk so loud, you are drawing a crowd," whispered Ben. "Dave is all right, and you know it."
"Humph! I want him to understand——"
"Plum, listen to me," said Dave, leaning out of the carryall and facing the bully squarely. "I intended to have a talk with you later, but since you are so insistent we may as well have it out right now. When it was decided that I should come back to Oak Hall I made up my mind to do my best to keep out of trouble and stick closely to my lessons. I also made up my mind to steer clear of you, and Nat Poole, and all the others of your crowd, and I was going to ask you to leave me alone. I want absolutely nothing to do with any of you, and I don't want any of you to go around talking behind my back, as you have been doing in the past. You know I could do some talking on my own account if I wanted to, but I prefer to keep silent. Now then, are you willing to meet me on those terms or not?"
"Humph!"
"That is no answer."
"You can't bully me."